Our new Full Tilt ISX Cummins intake manifold for the 2014 and newer Cummins ISX engine is doing just what it was designed to do – improve air flow and evenly distribute it to all six cylinders, especially cylinders 1, 5 and 6. The stock intake manifold doesn’t distribute the air evenly, so three of the six cylinders are starved for intake-charged air. Do you wonder why it’s always the number 1, 5 or 6 piston and liner that have problems in this great engine? It’s all in the intake air flow.
For years now, Full Tilt has been working on the exhaust manifolds to improve exhaust flow, increase turbo response, improve fuel mileage, and lower exhaust temperature. While testing exhaust manifolds on the dynamometer, it became obvious that cylinders 1, 5 and 6 were not receiving as much turbo boost as cylinders 2, 3 and 4, so apparently there had to be some restriction in the intake manifold – and there was (is). Now, it was back to the drawing board, and building plastic models of intake manifolds, to test on the flow bench.
Some outfits try to build air flow management equipment for diesel engines without the use of a flow bench. To them, I say, “Gentlemen, it can’t be done!” Well, it can, but without a flow bench, you’re basically just flying blind (guessing). Many of you reading my articles were just like me in our younger years – you built hot rods and performance cars, and were racers of some sort – so we all know the names Edelbrock and Offenhauser, in regards to intake manifolds, Hedman Headers, glass packs, Dart Heads, and the list goes on and on. To build these products, the owners of the companies had to purchase flow benches… and know how to use them!
Our sister company, Full Tilt Performance, is the only manufacturer of intake and exhaust manifolds for Class 8 trucks in North America that has and knows how to use a flow bench. Watch the video on our website (www.pittsburghpower.com) to see the improved air flow of the Full Tilt ISX Cummins intake manifold, and you will better understand why and how we can gain 1/3 to 1/2 a mile per gallon in fuel savings and eliminate a possible scoring of cylinders 1, 5 and 6. Seriously, this product is a big deal for the Cummins ISX engine.
Many of our owner-operators who get great fuel mileage from the various products we offer can park their trucks for the months of January, February and March, to travel to warmer climates for the winter, such as Florida, Arizona, Costa Rica and Belize. Just think about how relaxed their minds are when they come back to their trucks and the snow and cold weather are gone. Unfortunately, because they are out of town on vacation, they are missing our annual Owner-Operator Snowmobile Conference at the end of January or February.
Would you like to be able to take the winter off from trucking and relax for an extended period of time? I’ll bet you would! So, let’s work together and build trucks that get great fuel mileage, and you too can enjoy the winter months (instead of dreading them)! We can build you a great truck, but you must drive it properly and leave the cruise control off, unless the terrain is dead level and the traffic is light. Watch the turbo boost gauge or the Kevin Rutherford Scan Gauge and keep it steady – diesel engines are more fuel efficient at a stable output, not riding the throttle up and down. Using the cruise control on the rolling hills will rob you of half a mile per gallon and will beat your engine up on the hills.
Here’s a warning about Cummins Reman ISX short blocks, long blocks and engines. If you have purchased one of these and the time comes to rebuild it, be careful of the cylinder liners in the block. Many of them left the reconditioning plant with standard liners, which measure 150 millimeters, however the blocks were machined for 152 millimeter liners. This means you can’t go by the liner number in the engine. You must get with your Cummins engine parts supplier and read the technical service bulletin TSB 110277. If you put the standard 150 mm liner in a block that was machined for 152mm liners, the engine will run for about 200,000 miles and then you will get coolant in the oil pan. This is only a problem associated with the recon ISX blocks, short or long, and reman engines.
Pittsburgh Power has another new product for Caterpillar engines. It’s a simple product, but it will eliminate a serious problem. We have taken the factory exhaust manifold gasket with the built-in tin sleeve, which sticks into the exhaust port of the head, and redesigned it to eliminate the tin shield. This thin shield often breaks off into pieces and wipes out the turbine wheel of the turbocharger. Sometimes, the sleeve will break off and just become lodged in the manifold, which is obviously horrible for exhaust flow. This new gasket of ours is softer and thicker, allowing it to compresses to seal uneven surfaces. We also made it without the tin sleeve, resulting in a better-sealing gasket, without the possible tin-shield problems.
One last thing about the Acert Caterpillar engine. When you or your mechanic remove and reinstall the twin turbos on an Acert Cat (such as when installing our manifold, stainless studs, and/or the custom gaskets mentioned above), make sure that the entire twin-turbo intake system is pressure-tested or smoke-tested for leaks. The “bellows” that connects the twin turbos together are very hard to seal, and oftentimes they leak, resulting in a loss of charge-air to the engine and a loss of fuel mileage and power. We pressure-test every engine that comes into our shop and find that 80% or more have a turbo boost leak, and more often than not, it’s right after they had their engines worked on by another shop. To obtain optimum fuel mileage, there must be no leaks in the charge air system.
As the New Year approaches, I urge you to consider improving your truck’s efficiency and power. Make 2017 great by running a truck that is fun to drive and earns you more money. There is no reason to wait – whatever you drive, we can help. Visit our website (www.pittsburghpower.com) or call us at (724) 360-4080 to see what we can do for you!
